Nacre's Promise

Chapter XXXII : The surprise

Cuevas-Blancas, 1913.

The sun was low on the horizon. From her window, overlooking the patio, Isabel could no longer see him. Winter, which stuck out her nose, made her melancholy. She didn't like this season. The children would no longer be able to play outside, the vegetable garden would no longer give these tasty summer vegetables. It was the moment when nature and men would go to sleep to wait for the following spring.

It had been a year and a half since little Loretta had come and gone, but the pain was still intense. Isabel felt guilty for not having known how to feel this pregnancy, nor for having slowed down her activity to bring it to an end. She was expecting another child but nothing could ease her pain and she had to learn to live with it.

Diego too had remained in an almost permanent state of sadness. His daughter, he hadn't carried her, hadn't hugged her right after she was born, but her pain was real. It was for this reason that Isabel had not yet revealed to him that she was carrying a child again. She preferred to be patient, to be sure not to cause a miscarriage and had to wait at least another month.

This time, since she had been able to find out soon enough, she gave up riding, reduced her physical activity considerably and forced herself to rest every afternoon for an hour.

Carlina came twice a week to spend time with her. She took the opportunity to take care of the boys and thus allowed Isabel to breathe a little. They were now three and two years old and struggling to channel their overwhelming need to let off steam.

— What little monsters! she exclaimed. How do you manage to reconcile all your activities with children who require so much attention from you?

— They take advantage of it because you're here, she laughed. I am a very bossy and mean mother so they are very gentle.

— Not true, Mother is kind! rebelled Andrea.

— Not true, not true, not true! added José-Luis without understanding.

— But of course, my cap, I know well. You know, your mom used to say that for a laugh, Carlina snapped back to the elder. You will understand later. Adults sometimes say just the opposite, just for fun, because the people they are talking to know them well.

His puzzled expression indicated that he was a little too young to understand these subtleties and he resumed his frenzied games with his brother.

Andréa had a real passion for horses. His father often took him to the stables. Seeing the child's interest, he had bought him a pony and flattened part of the enclosure so that he could later teach him to ride. When he was three, he only took rare horse rides, firmly in front of his father, but he always asked for more. José-Luis was too small and he was afraid of these big animals which moved all the time.

Isabel would have accepted that Elvira came to visit her like Carlina did, but she was very afraid of his mood swings. She didn't want the children to be shocked. His stepmother sometimes seemed to have gone to another planet. At such times, she seemed at ease, but it was almost impossible to communicate with her.

Other times, and unfortunately it was very often, it seemed inhabited by the devil. She was angry with the whole world and always focused her anger on Isabel. She cursed frequently and her attitude was always hostile. On bad days, she had black eyes that chilled her back. It was better to run away from her or avoid upsetting her.

The young woman often observed Rodrigo's attitude towards his wife. He accepted his mood swings without saying anything, without getting angry. He had to take it upon himself not to give in to the urge to slap her. He had sent her back to Don Campos once again, but for the sake of her old age and to spare her from having to put up with her daughter's moods she had returned to the estate and was once again a problem.

Over time alas, and although he denies it, the work of negative persuasion made its way into Rodrigo's head. Hearing the same speech over and over can, in the long run, convince the most honest of men. It seemed to Isabel that Rodrigo no longer had his free will. He was no longer taking Elvira back as he had done in the past. He was tired of struggling and often acceded to her requests to get rid of the problem quickly.

The wear and tear had its effect and Elvira took advantage of her husband's weariness to achieve his ends without his noticing it. He even fired the cook at her request for peace.

Isabel was horrified to see how this undermining allowed Elvira to manipulate her stepfather. Had she gone mad, or was it her true self that was finally revealing itself? She couldn't tell anyone about it except Carlina, but she didn't want to bother him with it. Anyway, as her house was far enough away from the hacienda, Elvira had no time to come and see her unexpectedly to annoy her.

Winter came faster than expected, when Diego and his workers had not yet brought in the necessary wood to wait for spring. They had to work hard, sometimes in the rain, and in any case, in the cold, to finish coming in and cutting the big logs piled up in front of the stable.

This work forced Diego to stay away from the house for a long time, so that Isabel only saw him for the evening meal for a long time. He came home, exhausted from work and wanted more to sleep than to tell her about his day. Isabel then realized that she had to find an activity that would give her contacts with other people.

She missed their connivance, but she fully understood his need for rest. She adored her children but did not imagine having contact only with them. She needed to interact with adults and have an outdoor activity to feel good.

Once she was sure that the child she was carrying would reach term, she wanted to organize a surprise for Diego. She prepared the meal he preferred and decorated the table with pretty bouquets, made of small branches of pine and holly with pretty red balls. A tablecloth, which she had never taken out before and beautiful plates, completed the set with two small candlesticks.

She put on her prettiest dress, in which she still tucked in, and when Diego came through the door, she rushed over to kiss him.

The staging she had prepared had not gone unnoticed despite Diego's fatigue. He wanted to know what they were to celebrate.

— Gorgeous! exclaimed Diego, you are beautiful and the house is amazing with your decoration. But what are we celebrating tonight? Explain it to me quickly, I can't wait to find out.

— My husband, I have some news to share. I waited to be sure before informing you so as not to risk hurting you but now it's done. Can't you guess?

— Would you have hired a housekeeper for the two little monsters?

— No, there is always only Inès to help me but that is a good idea that I will implement soon, because I will need it very soon. So, can't you guess?

— I know, you've found an occupation that satisfies you, right?

— No that's not it. We are going to have another child in five to six months.

Diego was radiant. He was smiling broadly and he hugged Isabel to him before kissing her.

— My beloved, I love your surprise, he replied, laughing. That's very good news. I am very happy my Zaza.

He hadn't called her Zaza for a long time. When you're no longer a child, even in private, this nickname sounded bad in the mouth of an aristocrat. For Isabel, it represented all her youth and, hearing it again, moved her so deeply that she burst into tears of joy. They stayed like that, in each other's arms for several minutes, savoring their happiness.